27 February 2014

Colorful Photographs That Reveal The Beauty Within Deformed Frogs

Based in New York, visual artist and biologist Brandon Ballengée has combined his love for art and science with these colorful photographs of deformed frogs.

Inspired by his scientific research, which was about the decline of frog populations due to their deformities, Ballengée colored his specimens with chemicals, and then used a high-resolution scanner to create photographs of each deformed frog.

The artist chooses to show the beauty that can be found within these creatures as he did not want to exploit their deformities. In these prints, these frogs appear to be as large as toddlers to evoke empathy—if they were too small, viewers would dismiss them.

Aptly named “Reliquaries”, these images are a tribute to the short lives of these amphibians.

Ballengée’s works will be exhibited till 13 April 2014 at the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art in Michigan.